Rab32/38-Dependent and -Independent Transport of Tyrosinase to Melanosomes in B16-F1 Melanoma Cells.

B16-F1 melanoma cells have often been used as a model to investigate melanogenesis, but the evidence that melanosome biogenesis and transport occur by the same mechanisms in normal melanocytes and B16-F1 cells is insufficient. In this study, we established knockout B16-F1 cells for each of several key factors in melanogenesis, i.e.

Examining the Use of an Artificial Intelligence Model to Diagnose Influenza: Development and Validation Study.

Background: The global burden of influenza is substantial. It is a major disease that causes annual epidemics and occasionally, pandemics. Given that influenza primarily infects the upper respiratory system, it may be possible to diagnose influenza infection by applying deep learning to pharyngeal images.

Structure of the IscB-ωRNA ribonucleoprotein complex, the likely ancestor of CRISPR-Cas9.

Transposon-encoded IscB family proteins are RNA-guided nucleases in the OMEGA (obligate mobile element-guided activity) system, and likely ancestors of the RNA-guided nuclease Cas9 in the type II CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune system. IscB associates with its cognate ωRNA to form a ribonucleoprotein complex that cleaves double-stranded DNA targets complementary to an ωRNA guide segment. Although IscB shares the RuvC and HNH endonuclease domains with Cas9, it is much smaller than Cas9, mainly due to the lack of the α-helical nucleic-acid recognition lobe.

Prognostic Value of the Perioperative Systemic Inflammation Score for Patients With Curatively Resected Gastric Cancer.

Background/aim: The systemic inflammation score (SIS) is a promising tool for the evaluation of prognosis. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical impact of the preoperative SIS status in gastric cancer (GC) patients who underwent curative resection.

Patients And Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 258 patients with primary gastric cancer who received curative treatment at Yokohama City University.

A preliminary deep learning study on automatic segmentation of contrast-enhanced bolus in videofluorography of swallowing.

Although videofluorography (VFG) is an effective tool for evaluating swallowing functions, its accurate evaluation requires considerable time and effort. This study aimed to create a deep learning model for automated bolus segmentation on VFG images of patients with healthy swallowing and dysphagia using the artificial intelligence deep learning segmentation method, and to assess the performance of the method. VFG images of 72 swallowing of 12 patients were continuously converted into 15 static images per second.

Liver-secreted fluorescent blood plasma markers enable chronic imaging of the microcirculation.

Studying blood microcirculation is vital for gaining insights into vascular diseases. Blood flow imaging in deep tissue is currently achieved by acute administration of fluorescent dyes in the blood plasma. This is an invasive process, and the plasma fluorescence decreases within an hour of administration.

Seed germination responses to temperature and water availability in weedy rice.

Background: Weedy rice is one of the main agricultural weeds infesting transplanted and direct-seeded rice cultures across Japan. However, the environmental factors that facilitate its proliferation are largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of temperature and water availability on seed germination of Japanese weedy and cultivated rice strains differing in degree of seed dormancy and after-ripening.

Efficient antigen delivery by dendritic cell-targeting peptide via nucleolin confers superior vaccine effects in mice.

Efficient delivery of subunit vaccines to dendritic cells (DCs) is necessary to improve vaccine efficacy, because the vaccine antigen alone cannot induce sufficient protective immunity. Here, we identified DC-targeting peptides using a phage display system and demonstrated the potential of these peptides as antigen-delivery carriers to improve subunit vaccine effectiveness in mice. The fusion of antigen proteins and peptides with DC-targeting peptides induced strong antigen-specific IgG responses, even in the absence of adjuvants.

[NTRK Gene Fusions and Treatment in NTRK Fusion-Positive Solid Cancers].

Neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase(NTRK)gene variants have been reported in a variety of cancer types. The prevalence of NTRK gene variants is less than 1% in many types of solid cancer. The highest NTRK gene fusions frequencies were found in secretary breast carcinoma and infantile fibrosarcoma.

Cryo-EM structures of thermostabilized prestin provide mechanistic insights underlying outer hair cell electromotility.

Outer hair cell elecromotility, driven by prestin, is essential for mammalian cochlear amplification. Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of thermostabilized prestin (Pres), complexed with chloride, sulfate, or salicylate at 3.52-3.

Features of Masticatory Behaviors in Older Adults with Oral Hypofunction: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Although many studies have shown the relationships between oral function and nutrition and health, few reports have investigated the masticatory behaviors of older people. This study aimed to clarify the relationships between oral function and the masticatory behaviors and features of masticatory behaviors with oral hypofunction. A total of 98 community-dwelling independent older adults participated.

Clinical impact of lymphocyte/C-reactive protein ratio on postoperative outcomes in patients with rectal cancer who underwent curative resection.

Cancer-related systemic inflammation influences postoperative outcomes in cancer patients. Although the relationship between inflammation-related markers and postoperative outcomes have been investigated in many studies, their clinical significance remains to be elucidated in rectal cancer patients. We focused on the lymphocyte count/C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) and its usefulness in predicting short- and long-term outcomes after rectal cancer surgery.

Associations of indoor and outdoor temperatures and their difference with home blood pressure: The Masuda Study.

Ambient temperature and blood pressure (BP) are closely related; however, few studies have examined the association of out-of-office BP with indoor or outdoor temperature. The effect of the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures on BP also remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of indoor and outdoor temperatures and their difference with home BP.

Automatic visualization of the mandibular canal in relation to an impacted mandibular third molar on panoramic radiographs using deep learning segmentation and transfer learning techniques.

Objective: The aim of this study was to create and assess a deep learning model using segmentation and transfer learning methods to visualize the proximity of the mandibular canal to an impacted third molar on panoramic radiographs.

Study Design: The panoramic radiographs containing the mandibular canal and impacted third molar were collected from 2 hospitals (Hospitals A and B). A total of 3200 areas were used for creating and evaluating learning models.

Surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma: do heterogeneous GGNs and part-solid nodules on thin-section CT show different prognosis?

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical courses of patients with surgically resected stage IA pulmonary adenocarcinoma (Ad) who exhibited heterogeneous ground-glass nodules (GGNs) or part-solid nodules on thin-section computed tomography (TSCT) and to clarify the prognostic differences between them.

Materials And Methods: The cases of 242 patients with proven pulmonary Ad with heterogeneous GGN or part-solid nodule who underwent surgical resection were retrospectively reviewed. After surgery, they were examined pathologically.

Analysis of long-term serological and histological changes after eradication of .

Stratification of gastric cancer risk by measuring serological biomarkers is useful for screening of gastric cancer. However, this method has problem such as overlooking past infected patients. We aimed to evaluate the association between infection status and serological biomarkers.

TBC1D18 is a Rab5-GAP that coordinates endosome maturation together with Mon1.

Rab5 and Rab7 are known to regulate endosome maturation, and a Rab5-to-Rab7 conversion mediated by a Rab7 activator, Mon1-Ccz1, is essential for progression of the maturation process. However, the importance and mechanism of Rab5 inactivation during endosome maturation are poorly understood. Here, we report a novel Rab5-GAP, TBC1D18, which is associated with Mon1 and mediates endosome maturation.

A Phase II Trial on Osimertinib as a First-Line Treatment for EGFR Mutation-Positive Advanced NSCLC in Elderly Patients: The SPIRAL-0 Study.

Background: Osimertinib is one of the standard first-line treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, because it achieves significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) than conventional first-line treatments (hazard ratio: 0.46). However, the efficacy and safety of osimertinib as a first-line treatment for patients aged ≥75 years remain unclear.

[Mitral Mechanical Valve Thrombosis after Switching to Dabigatran].

The patient is a 76-year-old man who underwent aortic and mitral valve replacement 30 years ago, both with mechanical valves. He had been on anticoagulant therapy with warfarin, which was switched to dabigatran two years ago by his primary care physician. He developed shortness of breath afterward and was taken to the hospital with heart failure.